Button-hole attachment for sewing-machines



(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheet 1.Y

G. D. SPIBLMAN.- BUTTON HOLE ATTACHMENT EOE SEWING MACHINES..

No. 400,608. 'Paten'edApn 2,1889.

" NA PETERS. Priuxmhnwpw, wann-gian. nc.

(No Modl.) 2 Sheets-eShe-e't 2.

Y D. SPIELMAN. r. j BUTTON HOLE lATTACHMENT `EOE. SEWING MAGHINES.

No. 400,608 PatenltedApn 2, 18859.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE D. SPIELMAN, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

BiUTTON-HOLE ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 400,608, dated April2,I 1889.

Application filed October 24, 1887. Serial No. 253,170. (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom it may concern.:

Be it known that I, GEORGE D. SPIELMAN, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State ofOhio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Button-HoleAttachments for Sewing-Machines, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention is an improved button-hole attachmentfor sewing-machines.,Its object is to makev a cheap, compact, reliable device which may bereadily attached to any of the well-known sewing-machines for workingbutton-holes.

The invention will be first fully described in connection with theaccompanying drawings, and then particularly referred to and pointed outin the claims.

Referring to thedrawings, in which like `parts are indicated by similarreference-letters wherever they occur throughout the various views,Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device with the cloth-clamping jawsthrown open. Fig. 2 is a view partly in side elevation and partly inlongitudinal central vertical section. The cloth-clamp in this View isshown closed. Fig. 3 is a top or plan view of the attachment. Fig. 4 isan inverted plan view. Fig. 5 is an elevation of the rear end. Figs. 6to 13, inclusive, are detail views of the parts shown in the precedingfigures. Figs. 14 and 15 are transverse vertical sections of mypreferred form of cloth-clamp. Figs. 16, 17, and 18 are detail views ofmy preferred form of devices for giving lateral vibratory motion to thefeed-screw and cloth-clamping plates.

The base-plate A, upon which the operative parts are mounted, ispreferably made of sheetbrass stamped up in cross-section to the formshown in Figs. 5, 8, 9, and 16. A portion of the rear end of this plateis turned up at a right angle to the base forming the standard A, to

' the upper end of which is hinged thevarm B,

which is to connect with the needle-bar O or some moving part of thesewing-machine to impart motion to the button-hole attachment. The plateA is secured upon the bed-plate or table of the machine in the usualmanner, or, as shown, .by a screw passing through the hole ce in thelaterally-projecting lug of the plate.

The plate A is transversely slotted at d', and the standard D, whichfurnishes the front bearing for the interiorly-threaded cylinder or longn ut E, is secured upon the plate A above this slot by the screws d,Vwhich pass through the slot and into the base of the standard D. ThevShanks of the screws d snugly flt the slot, so that while they hold thestandard upon the plate A they serve to guide the standard in itslateral vibratory movement upon the plate A. The opposite or rear end ofthe tube E has a pivot or journal, e, which has its bearing in theupturned standard A', the bearing being sufciently large to permit ofthe vibratory movement of the tube E and the screw-shaft F, whichcarries at its forward end the cloth clamp or carrier, consisting of thestationary jaw G and hinged jaw H.

The stationary jaw has anV upwardly-projecting standard, h, whichreceives the forward end of the screw F. A pin passes y through thestandard and the screw, couples the parts together, and prevents thescrew from turning. The upper jaw or plate, H, of the holder is hingedto the standard, and has a spring, g, around its pintle, which bearsupon its under side to throw the jaw up, as seen in Fig. l, when thecam-lever I, which is journaled upon the reduced forward end of thescreweshaft F, is thrown up, as shown in Fig. 1. The cloth is clampedbetween the jaws by throwing the lever I down, as seen in Fio'. 2. f

ecured upon the female screw E back of the standard D is a wheel, J. Theface of the wheel adjacent to the standard is a grooved cam, the groovebeing of the form shown in Fig. 7. A stud, d2, projects from thestandard D into the groove, and, as the wheel J is revolved, imparts aVlateral vibratory motion to the male and female screw and theclothcarrier, which is connected to the forward end of the screw F. Theopposite face of the wheel .I is provided with six radial ribs, j, whichare engaged alternately by one and then the other of the hooked pawls KK', which are pivoted upon opposite sides of the vibrating arm B, sothat one pawlextends down upon each side of the axis, in order to rotatethe shaft E in opposite directions as one or the other of the pawls isbrought into action. The pawls are pivoted upona pin, k, which passesthrough the arm B, and are separated from the arm by washers 7c. Thepawls K K are connected to a pivoted angle-plate or chair, L, byspring-links lm, m. The chair L is pivoted on top of a standard, l,which rests upon the plate A and against its upturned end A. The chair Lhas a handle, Z', which extends out beyond the edge of the plate, forthe purpose of turning the chair upon its pivot, so as to bring one orthe other of the pawls K or K in engagement with the radial ribs j uponwheel J.

The handle Z passes through an upward eX- tension, N, of a bar, n, whichis arranged to slide underneath the plate A. The bar n. has alsoupwardly-projecting stops n', which extend through the plate A and inthe path of a tappet, 7L', which projects laterally from the plate G.The purpose of this arrangement is to reverse the movement of the feedautomatically when or before it reaches the limit of its travel. Bymaking these stops adjustable along the bar the device may be set towork any sized button-hole and be entirely automatic in its movements;but for general use I prefer to change the device to work from one sideto the other of the button-hole and from a forward to a backwardmovement, and vice versa, by hand. The feed of the clothcarrier ischanged backward or forward by turning the handle l', andis changedlaterally, so that one or the other side of the buttonhole will beworked, by the slotted cam-lever O, which is pivoted upon the plate A. Adownwardly-projecting stud-pin, d3, from the standard D enters theeccentric slot in the lever O. IVhen the lever is turned as in Fig. 3,the side of the button-hole nearest the lever side of the plate will beworked, and when the handle of the lever O is turned parallel with theedge of the plate A the stitching will be upon the opposite side of thehole. The transverse clip or plate h2, which is underneath the plate Aand secured by a screw to the under jaw, G, Fig. 4, is for the purposeof holding the clamping-jaws to the plate, while permitting them toslide.

Referring to the form of clamping-jaws shown in Figs. 14 and 15, theupper, H, is the same as previously described; but the edges of theunder plate or jaw, G', are curved springs serrated upon the edges tograsp the cloth. As seen in Fig. 14, the upper jaw has just been broughtdown upon the cloth, which is shown in dotted line, and in Fig. 15 thejaw has been clamped down tight, spreading the spring edges of the lowerjaw out, and of course tightlystretching the cloth, if the but ton-holeis to be worked before being cut, and in case the button-hole is to becutbefore working, then the spreading of the plate G will open the hole,so that the needle will freely pass into it at each alternate stroke.

In Figs. 16 to 18, inclusive, the standard has, instead of theprojecting stud-pin d2, two projecting lugs, d4, and the wheel J,instead of being grooved, has a cam, jz, projecting from it between thelugs d4. As the tubular screw is turned this cam, engaging the lugs uponthe standard, will give the necessary lateral vibratory movement to thetube-screw and the cloth-carrier at the front end of it.

It is evident that other well-known means may be employed, which,actuated by the neevdle-arm or other moving.r part of the machine,

would give an intermittent rotary motion to the tube E in first onedirection and then 1n the other to feed the cloth-carrier to the needle,and hence I do not desire to be limited to the exact form shown, as Iregard the feed devices consisting of the screw carrying and clampingplates, and having a lateral vlbratory arm, and also aforward-and-backward movement, as an essential feature of my 1nvention.

Vhat I claim is- 1. The combination of the base-plate, thclaterally-adjustable perforated standard, the male and female screwspassing through the standard, a cloth-carri er connected to the malescrew, a cani secured upon the female screw and engaging a part of thestandard, whereby a lateral vibratory movement is imparted to thefeed-screws and cloth-carrier when the female screw and its cam arerevolved, and means, substantially as shown, to impart an intermittentrotary motion to the cam and female screw, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of the base-plate, the laterally-adjustableperforated standard carrying lugs, the feed-screws E and F, -passingthrough the standard, a cloth-carrier connected to one of the screws, awheel mounted upon the other feed-screw, and having a cam on one faceengaging the lugs on the standard and projections on the other face, andsuitably-actuated pawls engaging such projections.

3. The combination of the base-plate, the perforated standard, thefeed-screws E F, arranged to vibrate laterally in said standard, thecloth-clamp connected to the forward end of the screw F, and meanssuitable for connectin g the screw E to the needle-bar, whereby anintermittent rotary motion is imparted to the screw E and a lateralvibratory motion to both screws and the clamp, substantially asspecified.

4. The combination of the base-plate and laterally-adjustable perforatedstandard having lugs project-ing from it, the feed-screws E and F,passing through the standard, a cloth-carrier connected to the screw Fand screw E, having its forward bearing in said standard, a wheelmounted upon the female screw, and having a cam on one face to engagethe lugs on the standard and projections on the other face,suitably-actuated pawls engaging such projections, the pin d3,projecting from the standard, and the slotted cam-lever O, pivoted onthe base-plate and engaging said pin to change the position of thestandard.

IOO

IIO

V5. Thecombination of the base-plate,'the. 'laterally-adjustableperforated standard D `and stationary standard A', the feedscrews E andF, `passing through the standard D, the scre-WE having a pivotal bearingin the stationary standard and lateral play in its bearing` in theadjustable standard D, the

cloth-carrier connected to vscrew F, the vibrating bar pivoted instandard A and having l its opposite end arranged for connection WithVthe needle-bar, and suitable means connected to the vibrating arm toimpart an' intermittently rotary motion tothefeed-screw E,substantiallyfasshown and described,

. 6. The combination ofthe base-plate and vibrating and longitudinallyreciprocating `feed-screws, a cloth-carrier connected to onei of saidscrews and a Wheel mounted upon the other feed-screw, said Wheel havingprojections, a vibrating larm actuatedby the needle-bar and paWlsdepending'from said arm and engaging `said projections, the pivotedchair, and spring-links connecting said chair andthe pawls, said chairhaving a lateral extension, whereby the chair is turned to bring thepawls alternately into and out of engagement With the projections on thefeedscrew Wheel, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

7 In a button-hole attachment, the combination of lthe vibrating andlongitudinally- `the cloth-clamp having a lateral extension toalternately engage said lugs to change the feed from forward to backwardmovement, and vice versa, substantially as shown and described.

GEORGE D. SPIELMAN.

Witnesses:

FRANK D. RETTIcH, GEO. J. MURRAY.

